My 4 month old baby boy wakes up frequently since starting solids. What am I doing wrong?
Answer:
What are you doing wrong? Giving a 4 month old solids. If it's bothering him (night-waking) his little digestive system isn't ready to handle it. He's trying to tell you something-stop feeding him solids.
I don't understand why parents are so excited to make their kids grow up. I also don't understand why AAP (and other sources) are still reccommending introducing solids so early in light of all the research done proving you should delay introduicing solids until AT LEAST 6 months of age. Babies simply cann't handle solids at this point nor do they need to. Breastmilk or formula are ALL baby needs for the 1st year.
He'll be eating solids soon enough. Wait until he's at least 6 months to introduce solids.
Good luck!
The child may eat too much or too little. The child could be waking up because of hunger or stomach
Formula should still be his main food. You dont state what you started him on, but i'll tell you my experience.
Typically parents are urged to start on cereal first. Preferably Rice Cereal as its more easily digestable. Then start to introduce vegetables one at a time (trying same food for a few days before adding a new one into the mix to check for allergies). Then introduce fruits. Then meants (the meats are gross. My daughter would only eat the Apples and Chicken type mixes never the meat alone).
You also dont mention how his bowel movements are. Could he be constipated? I suggest a nice warm bath before bed to help him to sleep.
Sorry for your frustration, take it one day at a time. Best of luck.
Take him off the solids. They may be disturbing his tummy and bothering him at night. It's really not recommended to start them until closer to 6 mos anyway. Try again in a few weeks and maybe his little body will be better able to handle it.
Solids should NOT replace formula or breastmilk but instead be given IN ADDITION to them. Formula or breastmilk should continue to make up most of the diet even after solids are introduced..for the entire first year. Solids are really mostly for fun and practice.
Feeding your child solids should not cut down how much milk he drinks. You might be feeding him too much solids all he needs is a tablespoon of cereal at this age.
When they first star on solids, this is what I did for all 5 of mine...
First when making a cereal bottle, mix 1 oz. of cereal w/ 4 Oz. of formula. You may need to make the hole in the nipple a little bigger. Be sure to use rice cereal not oatmeal as it tends to constipate babies. After a few weeks you will be able to thicken it up more and more until he will need to eat it from a bowl. If you need any advice E-mail me and I'll try to help. purpledragonflyjrh@yahoo
NCT recommend solids start at 6 months
Camoprinc hit it on the head! That is exactly what I did with my daughter. The only other thing I would add is to try and give him some infant gas drops like Mylacon. New foods can be hard on baby's tummy and the gas drops will help.
Good Luck!
the solids at this stage should not replace any formula it should be in addition to the baby's usual milk.
Is your baby ready for solids?
was he waking thru the night when he had previously slept thru the night?
Was he still looking for more milk when he had finished his whole bottle?
Was he watching you as you eat your food and looking interested in it?
Some baby's are ready for solids at 3 months others are not ready until they are 6 months every baby is different.
Start with a Little baby rice about 1 teaspoon full mixed with about4 teaspoons of milk or until it is really runny.
Or try puree carrots apples pears etc, just boil them with no salt and then puree them or push them thru a sieve.
you can make these well in advance and freeze them in ice cube trays, you will only need one cube each day to start with.
Choose a time of the day when you are not stressed and you and your baby are settled, them after they have had a bottle of formula try them with a little of your chosen food, if they eat it them fine if not try again another day.
Why not come along to a great friendly little site where lots of parents will be able to give you advice and share your thoughts.
http://fabfamilies.com/forum/index.php...
Everyone is lovely here and will be happy to help you with any advice or support that you may need.
1) 4 months is too early to start solids. Period. If your baby is having stomach problems this only reinforces my point. It is too early. 6 months is the earliest, this is reccomended by numerous organizations including the American Academy of Pediatrics, American Academy of Family Physicians, US Department of Health & Human Services, American Dietetic Association, The World Health Organization, UNICEF, Health Canada, etc, etc.
2) Solids do not REPLACE formula, they augment it. You should still provide unrestricted access to formula or breastmilk. Your baby will eventually start drinking less formula as they approach a year. But they are supposed to drink a minimum of 24oz, and after a year that is replaced by milk (at some point, some doctors say 1 year, some say 18 months, etc. Formula or goat's milk is by far better than formula)
3) 4 month old babies do not generally sleep through the night. Sorry. If you wanted a baby that sleeps through the night you should have gotten a baby sloth or a baby doll.
Your baby will sleep through the night when he is ready.
"Abstract: Few objective data are available regarding infants' night waking behaviors and the development of self-soothing during the first year of life. This cross-sectional study examined 80 infants in one of four age groups (3, 6, 9, or 12 mo) for four nights by using videosomnography to code nighttime awakenings and parent-child interactions. A large degree of variability was observed in parents' putting the infant to bed awake or asleep and in responding to vocalizations after nighttime awakenings. Most infants woke during the night at all ages observed. Younger infants tended to require parental intervention at night to return to sleep, whereas older infants exhibited a greater proportion of self-soothing after nighttime awakenings. However, even in the 12-month-old group, 50% of infants typically required parental intervention to get back to sleep after waking. Results emphasize the individual and contextual factors that effect the development of self-soothing behavior during the first year of life. "
http://www.kellymom.com/parenting/sleep/...
He's probably a little too young for solids and as his little digestive system isn't coping with them its probably tummy ache thats waking him up!
In general babies shouldn't be started on solids until 6 months. My cousin's baby started weaning at 4 months but he is absolutely HUGE - over 11 lbs when born and just too big and hungry to last until 6 months on just milk, so they started him on cereal at 4 months. But he still got loads of milk feeds as well.
I'd ask your doctor or health visitor because it sounds to me like the solids aren't agreeing with him just yet.
im not sure your probably feeding him too much he could be constapaded and also when feedng babies solids you have to let them drink atleast 4 ounces of pure water.in seperate bottle
My daughter was 6 and a half months when she started on solids good at first then grandparents kept giving her milky tea in a bottle with two sugars nightmare!! It's trial and error some babies are 4mths some 5 some 6 if all the world was the same how boring. Your baby may need more fluids as cooled boiled water to help it's bowel movements or not feeding after a certain time such as to go through the night or a milky type drink( formula) to help aid sleep. Cereal I do not always agree with as food in-tolerances as the child can't say mum that cereal hurt my tummy my daughter cannot have wheat, did not find out until a year old experiment and see what works for you good luck.
every child is different this may just be his sleepin pattern my boy is 18 months and still dosent sleep all through keep your little 1 on as many bottles as often as he likes and three main meals a day the little jars by cow and gate are fine start off with baby rice or porridge. hope things get better for you good luck
Here is a clue your 4 month old shouldn't be on solids it is far to soon and is probably giving the baby digestion problems.
It is recommended that babys do not start solids until approx 6 months now and if he does not take to solids I would carry on with milk for now and slowly reintroduce solids a bit later. You can use formula milk to mix baby rice from his bottle. Make it really runny to begin with (it will tell you amounts on box). He is still quite small so may not sleep right through for some time, have you tried to give him a bottle just before you go to bed, even if you have to wake him? At least then you will have had a couple of hours undisturbed sleep before work. Good luck with going back to work.
my 4 month old will have a 6 oz bottle before each feed and then when it comes to solids (which she's been on since 13 weeks old) i give her 2 ice cubes of veg, pots and chicken which i blend down together and then freeze...some times mix in fruit so its all together as she finds fruit a bit yuk!!
Just start slowly with baby rice and then progress to rusks and gradually introduce veg etc, sweet pots are nicer than normal ones.
Enjoy the mess!!...its fun.
Everyone has different advice but the bottom line is your baby will sleep through the night when (s)he is ready to and not before. Don't get stressed about that and going back to work because baby will detect your emotions which could worsen the situation. Be patient! www.babycentre.co.uk offers great advice.
Solids should not be replacing formula/breastmilk until after a year old. Also, 4 months is a little young for solids, it could be upsetting his tummy. =/
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